Fluid heater



rlol .3Q 194%. y y W, BQULDlN zgg 'FLUID HEATER f Filed June 25, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet l P4 zz I I C mmm l JOS EPH w OULDJN,

AT TORNEY April 30, 1946. J. w. BOULDIN FLUID HEATER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed June 25, 1945 JOE'PH W BOULBIZV,

/NVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 30, 1946 UNITED lSTATES PAT-ENT Y101"'-FlfCfE FLUID-.HEATER floseph'WLBoldin, Los Angeles,'Ca'li`f.

Applicatonlune 2-5, 1945, -SerialfNogsrUl-ASSi commis. v(orizz- 117) lThe `invention relates to va iluid heater and more particularly toawater heater.

Anobject of the invention is to provide a iluid heater which is' simplein construction'andwhich makes eiicient use of the source of heatingsuch as a'gas iiame. This is accomplishedbyemploying a iire .tube type'of heating unit "arranged na'vertical Yposition andnprovided with anouter casing to provide a"uespace around "the heating'unit. Preferablythe heating unit is ,provided `with `a bulging top :wall and ,a bulgingbottom wall which "contributeto 'efficient-'heating in the followingway.

The bulgingbottomziwalliprovidesian extended surface against vvhicn'thevflame of .the burner is directed'andas thissurface increases in radiusin an upward direction it guides that .part of. the heated gas whichdoes `notrliow throughthe fire tube, tov the sidewall ofv the heatingunit. The bulging'topwall'also isan extended surface which isutilized'for'further heating the fluid, through the use of "acooperatlngcast iron orrthick metal cap spaced therefrom "and cooperating therewithto provide a fluejspace at thetop of ,the vheating unit. As kthe heavy'metal cap forms one wall of the upper portion of theV flue which. isheated by the gases Ifrom .the burner, it vthereby 'becomesheatedandh'eatsthe extended top wall of the heating unit byconvection.It alsodirectsorrelects the 'hotfgases'tm' the' top wall. A suitableheat 'insulating jacket is provided .around the heating unit.

In the preferred' lform. 'of' the .inventionthe side wall 'aswellas 'the-top. and bottom .of '.theheating unit lare provided 'with `a spaced.cast firon or other heavy metal outer iiue member .in heat exchange.and re'iecting relation tothe side wall and both end walls of theheatingunit.

A further objectof thefinvention is `toemploy a re tube type of heating.unit in .avertical .position whereby itdirects the. heated-gases fromAthe burner upwardlyto a viiue,with the provision of bulgingtop andbottomwal-lson-the heating unit whereby the. heated gases l`from theburnerfheat notonly thefxre tubes 4but also the side wall and i both endwalls with' the ame directly' heating the bottom wall, and with thefurther provision of a heat radiating jacket forming an outer ue memberin heat exchange relation to some part or al1 of the heating unit.

For further details of the invention reference may be made to thedrawings wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a uid heateraccording to the present invention.

Fig. 2 isl asimilarfview o'f-a preferredv form-of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings; the yi-iiuid heater I ofrvthisfinvention -comprises'a="heating unit 2 having-ac5'Iliifid'ricalside wallland bulging top yandbo'ttom lwallsvland5,fhere-'illustrated las ldome shaped iand conical respectively.`'I'heaiiis of the vhcat-ingunit Tis-vertical `and enclosed by the side'wa-ll? 3'fis a: plurality =of verticalifre tubes such Afas-indicated at6 which Lopen"'atthei-r'outer ends in an intermediate: portion o'f'the'erfd'l walls 4 and as indicated at1fan'd 8. uiBelowfthebottom wall5 is :arrangedfa gas burner-#9 `preferably having' -j ets arranged on-aplural-ity `of steps I0, 4H yand I 2 Awhich lie on aconical'surfaceparallel-'tothe `theheating lunitf2.

"The"burner"f9is' Yheld ini position by abilbraclretv 2 2 secured vby'af-stove'fbolt'f23 ito' theginsidecfzca's'ing I 3 fand' by V"thegas-supply Apipe `24 `which itpasses through the casings" I3'and- I4.

'Extending parallel to-andispacdfromtheitop wallf4 is yfeast 4iron-capy25 havingavertical flue 26 which 'passes v'throughxa central opening 21-in Aa cover 28"securedby bolts 29 :tothe top of casings I3 and-I4.Cap25' is;1secured'-"to casing |13 byibolts 12.

"Thezh'ot water or 'other u'd is vrstored "in a 'tank 30 having #a coldwater connection '3 I to fthe' `bottom .ofthe heatingunit 2 Yas4indicated at 32. Tank-'30 "hasa 4hoi: water-connection`33 'connected to'thei'center yof the 'top Awall 4 tas" indicated .at 34, the.connection33passing'througlrandbeing. sup- Ported :by-casings' I3 -and'1*'4 and'fue 26 as" indicated at 35 and 3B respectively. The side wall 3is further supported by the clean out connection 31 which passes throughand is supported by casings I3 and I4 as indicated at 38 and by aconnection 39 which similarly passes through and is supported by casingsI3 and I4 as indicated at 4U.

A thermometer not shown may be used with connection 39 to determine whenthe scale in the unit 2 needs to be removed by passing a suitabletherefrom to the top Wall 4, and cap 25 reliects orv directs the hotgases onto the top Wall 4.

The preferred form of the invention is shown in Fig. 2 wherein the fluidheater 42 comprises a heating unit 43 which is upside downfrom thatshown in Fig. 1, whereby the bottomwall. 44 .is dome shaped and the topwall 45 is conical. A burner 46 is arranged beneath the bottom wall 44Vand is provided with pairsmof jetssuch as441 and 48 which are directedtowards-eachother, the resulting flame impinging directly one-,thebottom wall44. j All of the Vjets, suchas,v 41 and 4S are onlthesame'ilevel.A Aroundthe heating unit 434and extending from the topofthe side wall449 tothe ring base B is a cylindrical cast iron -J'acket5I which serves ,as'anouterue member' @absorb` heat and radiate it tothe side wall 49and the bottom44 of the heating unit and directorreflect thehot -gasesagainst the heating unit.L The jacket 5 has,A anvinturned flange 52 secured-to thering 5|).,by bolts53. Inside ofthejacket 5| is arranged a number of brackets such as .54 secured tothejacket 5| by bolts 5s.k The brackets like 54 support-the outer edgeofthe bottom wall 44A. Resting on the jacket 5| is a cast iron-cap`56secured thereto by bolts 51. ACap 56 extends parallel to and spaced fromthe conical top 45 to provide another portion of a flue, for the heatedgases from burner 45. Cap 56 functions lk'e'fcap 25 in Fig. 1 Cap 56 hasa central vertical ilue 58 which passes through an opening 59 in a'cover|50.I Cover 60 rests on a sheet metal.

casing 6| which is cylindrical and vlarger than the jacket 5|, .theintervening space between cas ing- 6| withits cover 60 and jacket 5|with its cap. 56 being filled'with apacking -of insulating material 62.Cover`6|l is secured to the top ,of casing 6| by bolts 63 and thebottomof casing 6| is securedtof a flange .-64 arising from base 59, bylciclts 65; -Thef cold connection 66 is piped into the bottom' oftheside wall- 49 and the hot connection 61 is takenfrom the truncated top68 oftlietop vi'allllli.-l "The hot water isconcentrated at-thehotconnection 61 by reason of the fact tliatfthe top wall 45.. tapers into the hot connection 61,v also the surface of the conical top 45 andthe cap 56`Lare. more extended than'if the heating unit were inverted asin 1. Also the cylindrical jacket 5| 'increases the thermal eiciencythrough'absorblng heat fromthe hotegases and radiatingitto the heatingunit, and directing or reflecting the hot gases on ,the heating punit,Also'the'jacket 5|fin combination with the pipe connections `66`,`.69`and .16 and 61 assist the brackets 54 in supporting the heating unit 43in a vertical position concentric with the jacket 5|. As previouslydescribed, ring base 50 has an opening 1| through which the unit 43 maybe inserted after the jacket 5I and casing 6| are bolted to the base5|), although the unit 43 may be assembled in position shown byinserting it in the top of jacket 5| and casing 6l if desired.

It will be apparent that various modifications may be made in theinvention without departing from the spirit of the following claims; y

I claim':

l. A fluid heater comprising a vertical heating I' unit having acylindrical side wall and bulging topl and bottom walls, vertical fluepipes sur- .,rounded by said side wall and opening through anAintermediate portion of said top and bottom Walls, va burnerdisposedbeneath said bottom wall and adapted to direct flames on saidbottom wall, a casing around and spaced from said side wall Vvandproviding a iiue space foi-,said burner along said sidewallQa'thickfmetal Ycap for said casing, said cap extendingsubstantially parallel to and spaced from said bulging topY wall to forma consaid top wall is conical and said bottom wallie dome shaped, saidcasing' comprising aninner casing of thick metal, a sheet metal outercasing, a packing ofinsulatingv material between said outer casing andsaid inner casing and cap, a base ring supporting said inner and outercasings, said ring having a central opening larger than the periphery ofthe side wall of said unit, and brackets secured inside said innercasing and supporting said heating unit above said burner and above saidbase ring. '5. A fluid heater. comprising vertical heating unit having asidewall and bulging top and' bottom walls,'vertical uepipe's surroundedby said side wall and opening through an intermediate portion of saidtop and bottom walls, means providing a flue space around said sidewalland over said top wall, a burner beneath saidV bottom wall inheating relation to said' bottom walhsaid iiue pipes, said side Wallandsaid top ,wallga cold uid inlet adjacent the vbottom of said unit,land a heated fluid inlet at the top. of s'aidtop' wall; 6; A fluidheateraccording'tc claim 5'` wherein said means*A comprises a cast ironcylindrical inner casing and a cast iron-cap therefor having'aiflue, anouter sheet'metal casing, a cover for said sheet metal casing having-a`central opening for said cap ue, and a packing of insulatingmaterialbetween said outercasing with its said cover, and-said-inner casingwithits said cap. f l f JOSEPH? W. BOULDIN.

